Disc-shaped playing piece and game board



March 21, 1967 N. D. BROWN 3,310,307

DISC-SHAPED PLAYING PIECE AND GAME BOARD Filed June-4, 1964 United States Patent O 3,310,307 DISC-SHAPED PLAYING PIECE AND GAME BOARD Norman D. Brown, 1244 W. 9th Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed June 4, 1964, Ser. No. 372,510 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-126) This invention relates to games of the type utilizing a horizontal playing surface over which game pieces are played.

In games of this type it is usual for the playing piece to be propelled over the playing surface and for a score to be made when the playing piece is lodged in a recess or other receptacle at a remote end of the board. In the simplest form of game, the playing pieces in the form of discs slidable over the playing surface are propelled over the surface in an effort to drop the discs into depressions at one end of the board. Thereafter the playing pieces may be dislodged if they are struck by another playing piece from any angle.

It is my intention to provide a game utilizing a horizontal playing surface over which the playing discs may be slidably propelled. My game differs from conventional games in that my playing pieces are formed with a centre pin that will drop down from the game piece whenever the game piece passes over an elongated slot in the board and when the pin drops into the slot the game piece will be held in position over the slot. Since the slot in which the centre pin drops is elongated the playing piece can only be dislodged when it is struck in a manner that will cause it to move in the direction of the long axis of the slot. If the playing piece is struck from any other angle, that is to say from the side, the piece will not be dislodged.

In addition I provide guards located on the playing surface immediately in front of the elongated slots so that the playing piece can be struck only by a playing piece that has been caused to rebound off the sides and back of the playing surface rather than from the front.

It is considered that my game, in addition to providing enjoyment, will develop a considerable degree of skill and co-ordination among the participants.

In drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention:

FIGURE 1 is a projected view of my game board.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of a game piece on a game board and showing the centre pin in the up position.

FIGURE 3 is another side view of a game piece shown resting on a game board and illustrating the centre pin dropped into a slot in the game board.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional side elevation of a game piece.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the cap for the centre FIGURE 6 is a projected view of the centre pin.

With reference now to the drawings, my game board consists of a plane surface 10 preferably rectangular in form and with a peripheral retaining wall 11 around the edge of the playing surface. At one end the board is marked with scoring zones A, B and C which represent different values in the game. In the embodiment illustrated the zones B and C are formed with elongated scoring slot 8 located substantially centrally in the scoring zones and with triangular raised guard pieces 9 immediately in front of the scoring slots.

A playing piece for the game board will be described with reference to FIGURES 2 through 6 inclusive. The playing piece consists of a body 3 formed preferably from a heavy metallic substance or the like in disc form and with an outer peripheral groove in which is fitted the rubber bumper 4.

3 ,310,307 Patented Mar; 21 ,1967

The disc 3 is bored centrally as indicated at 7 and the bore 7 is reduced in diameter as indicated at 12 close to the top 13 of the disc to provide the shoulder 15.

The pin 2 is of a diameter to fit slidably within the bore 7 in the disc 3 and has a neck portion 16 reduced in diameter to fit slidably in the bore 12 and with a seat 17 that will engage on the shoulder 15 when the pin is fitted in the 'bore. At its upper end, the neck 16 is threaded as indicated at 6 to engage threadably in the threaded bore 5 in the cap 1.

The assembled game piece is best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3 in the drawings.

In play, the game piece would be rested on the playing surface 10 at the end of the board remote from the scoring zones A, B and C. With the bottom 14 of the game pieces resting on the board, the pin 2 would be held up in the bore 7 as illustrated in FIGURE 2 in the drawings. The game piece is then propelled over the surface of the board toward the scoring zones A, B and C and, to score only in the zones A, B and C, the piece need only come to a stop within the appropriate scoring zone. Should the participant desire to move his game piece into engagement with one of the elongated slots 8 to obtain a higher score he would have to deflect the game piece from the sides or back end of the wall 11 to get around the guard pieces 9 in front of the slots.

Once a participant is successful in moving his game piece over one of the slots 8, the pin 2 will drop down into the slot to lock the game piece in position. This action of the pin may be seen clearly on reference to FIGURE 3 of the drawings.

If an opposing player then desires to dislodge his op ponents game piece from the slot 8 he can only do this by rebounding his game piece from the sides or back of the wall 11 so that the game piece at the elongated slot 8 when struck, will be moved in the direction of the slot and tipped sufiiciently to dislodge the pin from the slot. Any strike on the game piece lodged in the slot from the side or not from the correct angle will not dislodge the game piece and the piece will remain in its high scoring position. The rubber bumper 4 around the game piece is designed to receive the impact when one playing piece strikes another and, at the same time serves to increase the vigour of the rebound when the playing piece strikes another playing piece or is deflected from the sides or ends of the wall 11.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a game, a game board having a surface over which game pieces may be slid, a peripheral retaining wall around the game board, depressions in the playing surface adjacent one end of the board, raised guard pieces on the playing surface between the depressions and the opposite end of the board, game pieces adapted for sliding over the playing surface, each game piece having pin means mounted freely in the game piece to drop in a depression as the game piece passes thereover and secure the game piece in position over the depression, means preventing upward movement of said pin means relative to the body of said game piece to completely separate.

said pin means from said game piece.

2. The game as claimed in claim 1 wherein the raised guard pieces are of triangular shape with the apex of the triangle pointing away from the depressions.

3. A game piece adapted for sliding over a playing surface and to be locked in a depression in the game surface comprising a body portion having a flat bottom surface for sliding over a playing surface, pin means fitted in the body member and movable with relation to the body member to be held in the up position when the bottom surface of the body member is in contact with a playing surface and to drop down with relation to the body member when the body member is raised from the a playing surface or when the body member passes over References Cited by the Examiner a depression in the playing surface, means preventing up- UNITED STATES PATENTS Ward movement of said pin means relative to the body of said game piece to completely separate said pin means from said game piece. 5

4. The game piece as claimed in claim 3 and a periph- Y eral resilient bumper member around the game piece. RICHARD PINKHAM P'lmary Exammei' 1,167,452 1/1916 Ward 273l26 3,147,977 9/1964 Glassman 273-126 

1. IN A GAME, A GAME BOARD HAVING A SURFACE OVER WHICH GAME PIECES MAY BE SLID, A PERIPHERAL RETAINING WALL AROUND THE GAME BOARD, DEPRESSIONS IN THE PLAYING SURFACE ADJACENT ONE END OF THE BOARD, RAISED GUARD PIECES ON THE PLAYING SURFACE BETWEEN THE DEPRESSIONS AND THE OPPOSITE END OF THE BOARD, GAME PIECES ADAPTED FOR SLIDING OVER THE PLAYING SURFACE, EACH GAME PIECE HAVING PIN 